In the past week I have conducted an (informal) survey of first-year undergraduate students. Shout out to everyone who answered my umpteen questions, despite being generally overwhelmed with work! You have made possible the pursuit of truth. Two broad categories…
Affirmations for those with Anxiety
For me, a lot of my symptoms revolve around unnecessary fear and discomfort. As an example, I randomly and suddenly feel incredibly on-edge when there are sudden loud noises in places, or if I feel trapped when I am on…
PMS as a student
It's a common experience, but it's also a taboo: pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and it is important to talk about it. PMS symptoms and degree differ between girls. For myself, I become irritable and stressed. I also experience insomnia, loneliness, an…
Movement breaks for managing the madness of midterm season
For most of us, the days leading up to an exam are very much like those of a ship caught in a tempest: All hands on deck! Trim the mast! Check that the vessel hasn’t sprung a leak! (Alright, so…
Bouncing Back from Midterms
As a university student, I’m sure everyone has gotten a grade back and wasn’t exactly happy about it. I’ve been there before, and it can be really hard to take in… especially in first year. In my experience, dwelling on…
The Power of a Growth Mindset
Things you might hear after a first year midterm: “That didn't go as planned.” “I failed.” “How will this impact by GPA?” "I'm not cut out for this." U of T grading rubrics can be unforgiving. After the first tests…
Finding the Balance Between my School Life and Social Life
As we put an emphasis on mental health this month, I decided to write about my struggles in trying to find a balance between my social/family life and school life. Last Sunday, my dad had a rare day off of work…
3 Ways to De-Stress During Midterm Season
Halloween isn’t the only scary thing in October… what scares university students the most: midterms. In the midst of midterms, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed. What feels like endless readings and review questions, I sometimes feel like no there’s…
On Reaching Out as a Student
You are surrounded in a sea of people but everyone is occupied. The world keeps spinning and never stops for you. There's no time to breathe. Somehow you are surrounded by 100,000 other students yet you feel completely alone. Adult…
Overcoming Perfectionism- Life as a Perfectionist at U of T (PART II)
In my last blog post, I wrote about what I’ve learned as a perfectionist at U of T. I mentioned how being a perfectionist wasn’t ideal when I’m on a time crunch, since I don’t have time to make everything…